Sketch XLVIII

Othniel Smith

“Oh, what a name!” I hear some young reader exclaim. Well, what is the matter with the name? There is no reason in the world why even a common, every-day Smith should always have a Joe or a John placed before it. Now, if the name forming the headline of this sketch had been written Othniel Pegasus instead of Othniel Smith you would think it was all right. You would accept it without comment as a name peculiar to some foreign language; but because the last part is simply Smith, you think the first part is out of place. If it was Othniel Smythe, for instance, it would, no doubt, have a more euphonious sound, but we cannot change it, and therefore you must accept it just as it is. Don’t say, however, that you never heard the name before, as that would be evidence of carelessness in your Bible readings. The mother of Othniel, like all the mothers of her time, did not ransack every creation of fiction for names for her children, as mothers do nowadays. They chose names that stood for something—names that possessed a common noun significance of meaning, and were representative of various types of character that had been demonstrated in real life by actual living personages. The Bible was the only book consulted when our great-grandmothers made a choice of names for their babies. The mother of Othniel Smith had read the story of Othniel, son of Kenaz, and first judge of the Israelites, how he had delivered his countrymen from the tyranny of the King of Mesopotamia, and she admired his character. Othniel was expressive of something. It meant valor, patriotism, and fidelity to righteous principles, and she named her son Othniel.

Looking at it in the light of our day and generation it was no baby name; but we must remember that when Othniel Smith was a baby the conditions of life made it impossible for any baby to always remain a baby, as they sometimes do in our times, consequently they had no use for baby names. Thus it is that among the sturdy old pioneers who came into the wilds of this Long Point region of country a hundred years ago, we find so many Abrahams, Isaacs and Jacobs, with a copious sprinkling of Moses and Aaron, and not a few Abiels, Absaloms, Abners, Adonirams, Benjamins, Adams, Davids, Solomons, Ebenezers, Eliphalets, Ephraims, Jobs and Ezekiels, and even a few Barzillias, Zephaniahs, and one Othniel. Among the old pioneer mothers we find in nearly every family a Rebecca—”of enchanting beauty;” an Elizabeth—”worshipper of God;” Rhoda—”a rose;” Matilda—”a heroine;” Catherine—”pure;” Abigail—”my father’s joy;” Amanda—”worthy to be loved;” Ann—”grace;” Elinor—”light.” Eliza—”consecrated to God;” Esther—”a star;” Eva—”life;” Hannah—”favor;” Jane—”the gracious gift of God;” Jemima—”a dove;” Nancy—”inherent excellence;” Phoebe—”pure and radiant;” Ruth—”beauty;” or a Miriam, meaning “star of the sea.” There is hardly a family without a Margaret—”a pearl,” and more than one old family boasted of a Mehitabel, which means “benefited of God.” Life was no passing dream to the fathers and mothers who conquered the forests of Norfolk—it was intensely real, and the very names they bore had a significant meaning.

Othniel Smith was one of the early pioneers. He was born in New Jersey of an ancestry that came from Cheshire, England.[1] He had several brothers who, with himself, emigrated to Western Canada in 1778,[2] or about fourteen years before it was organized into the Province of Upper Canada. The early Niagara settlement was thus liberally supplied with Smiths. In the closing year of last century Othniel came up with his family and settled in the new Long Point settlement, and no one of old Charlotteville’s pioneers made a wiser choice of land than he did. Who does not know of the A. W. Smith homestead, or “the Workey Smith farm,” as it is commonly, but erroneously termed? This beautiful and productive farm, consisting of Lot 24, 5th concession, has been occupied by the Smith family from the time father Othniel settled on it in 1800 to the present time. The present occupant, Andrew, is a son of A. W. Smith, and a great-grandson of Othniel, the old pioneer.

Othniel Smith was a man well advanced in years when he came to the settlement, and his family were all grown up. He died in 1813, leaving four sons—Andrew, Samuel, Garrett and Abraham; and one daughter, Rachel.[3]

Andrew Smith, eldest son of Othniel, was born in Niagara District, in 1781.[4] He married Elizabeth Sovereign, and succeeded his father on the old homestead. He died in 1849, in his 70th year, leaving four sons—David, Philip, Daniel and Abraham W.; and five daughters—Rachel, Patience, Elizabeth, Nancy and Mary Jane. Mrs. Smith died in 1817, in her 65th year.[5]

Philip Smith, second son of Andrew, married Elizabeth L. Emes, and settled finally in Charlotteville. He had three sons—Warren T., Elbridge C. and John A.; and three daughters—Mary A., Augusta A. and Emma L.

Samuel Smith, second son of Othniel, married and settled near “Five Stakes,” Elgin County, where he raised a family.[6]

Garrett Smith, third son of Othniel, settled near St. Thomas, where he raised a large family. The name of Garrett Smith appears on the pages of Joseph Tisdale’s old tannery blotter for the year 1804.

Abraham Smith, youngest son of Othniel, settled in the Lake St. Clair settlement, where he raised a family.

Rachel Smith, only daughter of the old pioneer, married a man named Boughner, and settled near “Five Stakes,” Elgin County.[7]

It is not known whether Othniel Smith was related to Abraham Smith, the pioneer head of Charlotteville’s oldest Smith family or not, but there are good reasons for assuming that they were branches of one common family tree. Both were of English descent, and both came from New Jersey. Each had a son Samuel, a son Abraham, and a daughter Rachel; and, what is more convincing than all else, it is said there was a striking resemblance between the sons and daughters in the two original families.[8]

[1] This county of origin has not been confirmed in historical documents. Othniel’s ancestor Rev. John Smith emigrated from England to Barnstable, Cape Cod, Massachusetts about 1639. He married Susannah Hinckley and in 1667 moved with his family to Woodbridge, New Jersey. See “Othniel Smith” in The Long Point Settlers Journal, Vol. 4, No. 4.

[2] “Western Canada” is an archaic name for Ontario. From 1839 to 1867, this province was called Canada West. The present prairie provinces of Canada were at that time administered by the Hudson’s Bay Company and called Rupert’s Land. Othniel Smith’s brothers Silas and John came to Upper Canada and settled at Grimsby Twp., Lincoln County in 1787. Othniel arrived in the province in June 1796 and settled near his brothers. He then moved to Norfolk County in mid-1798. Ibid.

[3] Othniel Smith had another, oldest son named Joseph Smith, born c. 1779 according to his 1799 Muster Roll listing. Joseph received a Crown Grant of Lot 17 in the Gore of Woodhouse Township, recorded in the Abstracts of Deeds Register. His will dated at Woodhouse Township on June 5, 1812 named his wife Sarah and left his homestead to his sons John and Levi. Joseph also owned half of Lot 15, Concession 12, Walpole Township which he left to his son Andrew. Also named in the will were daughters Charlotte, Rachel, Anna and Jewly Smith. Source: London District Surrogate Registery, Doc. No. 47.

The second son of Othniel Smith was John Smith, born c. 1779 according to the 1799 Muster Roll. John received a Crown Grant of Lot 18 in the Gore of Woodhouse Twp. His will dated on May 29, 1813 named his wife Sarah and bequeathed his home farm to sons Joseph and Garret. Lot 15 in the Gore of Woodhouse was willed to sons Jonathan P. and Isaac. Also mentioned were son Othniel Smith and daughter Caty P. Smith. Source: London District Surrogate Registry, Will No. 38. Othniel mentioned in his 1796 land petition that he had nine children so there are still two additional who are unknown (Upper Canada Land Petition “S” Bundle 2, Doc. No. 93).

[4] Andrew Smith, third son of Othniel, was born at Sussex County, New Jersey on January 9, 1781. He came with his father to Upper Canada in 1796 and received a lease on the Crown Reserve Lot 2, Concession 7, Townsend Twp. then purchased additional land at Townsend and Windham Townships. Andrew inherited his father’s farm in Lot 24, Concession 5, Woodhouse Township and subsequently lived there. See “Othniel Smith” in The Long Point Settlers Journal, Vol. 4. No. 4

[5] Andrew’s wife Elizabeth (Sovereign) did not die in 1817 as stated by Owen. She died on August 26, 1847 according to her gravestone in Woodhouse Methodist Church Cemetery. Andrew and Elizabeth’s youngest child Mary Jane, wife of Alfred Alway was born in 1825 according to her gravestone in Old Methodist Church Cemetery.

[6] Samuel Smith, born in 1787, was Othneil’s fifth son. Garet, born on 11 Nov 1783, was the fourth.

[7] Rachel Smith married John Boughner, son of Matthias Boughner and was buried beside her husband in Talbotville Royal Cemetery, Southwold Township, Elgin County. They lived first in Woodhouse Township where they were recorded in the 1826 Assessment. In 1831, John purchased from Thomas Marr Lot 43, East of Talbot Road North Branch Concession in Southwold Township and was recorded there in the 1852 Census.

[8] A relationship between Abraham and Othniel Smith seems unlikely. The grandchildren of Abraham Smith of Charlotteville Township stated that they were of German origin in the 1871 Census, while the Othniel Smith family claimed English origin.